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Net metering is the policy that really enables your solar to work for you. In most US states, there is a policy that says for every kilowatt hour that you put into the grid, you will receive a credit for that kilowatt hour. So if your solar system produces 10 kilowatt hours of energy, and it puts those 10 kilowatt hours into the grid, that's 10 kilowatt hours you get back. That's what net metering is.

This is really important because your solar system produces energy during the daytime, but you use energy during the nighttime as well. How it works is that during the daytime, you put a lot of energy into the grid, and it goes “on account” to be used later when you are not producing electricity. So you're banking all those credits. Then at night (or on a cloudy day), you pull that energy off the grid, and you use all the credits you accumulated.

That's net metering. It's an amazing policy. One that we all as consumers and advocates for clean energy have to continue to fight for. It has enabled solar to develop so much and, in effect, gives you the ability to use the grid as your own battery, reducing the cost of electricity for you and your family.

The Solar Investment Tax Credit (also known as the ITC) is available for qualifying homeowners who install solar. When you go solar, you can apply for the ITC from the federal government when you file your taxes which, for some homeowners, can result in a reduced, or even zero, tax liability. The ITC was recently increased from 26% to 30% giving homeowners even more reason to go solar. That's why customers who are ready to go solar should do so while the tax credit is maximized.

The ITC is a huge part of the value proposition of solar. For example, if you go solar and finance (or purchase with cash) your system for $30,000, you could receive an income tax credit equal to 30% of that $30,000 solar system, depending on the size of your tax liability. And if you finance your system, you can be eligible for this benefit without paying ANY money down for the system. That is why you want to go solar today and take advantage of the generous federal subsidies we as consumers have available in order to support clean energy and save money.

One of the most common questions our clients ask is how a solar warranty works. There are three types of solar warranties:

The first one is on the panels. When you buy a solar system for power, those panels are typically warrantied for 25 years. What that means is they're guaranteed to work for 25 years and continue to produce power. Now, depending on the panel you buy, that production guarantee could be anywhere from 85% of the power they were producing on day one, all the way up to 92% if you opt for a higher-efficiency, premium panel.

The second type of warranty is on the inverters, which are the component of your system that transform the energy you get directly from the sun into usable AC current that can actually power your home: turn on your lights, power your A/C, help you watch TV and all that good stuff. Your inverter is warrantied anywhere from 12 to 25 years.  The 12 year warranties can be extended to 20 or 25 years for additional fees, and coverage for labor to replace defective products is available for up to 10 years as well.

The third part of the warranty covers what's called the workmanship. Our workmanship warranty is for 10 years. That means all the work that we do on your house when we're installing your solar system, when we're on your roof while you're working, when we're working inside your electrical panel. All of that work is guaranteed for 10 years to make sure that there's absolutely no issues.

25 years on the panels, 12 to 25 years on inverters, 10 years on the workmanship warranty. Truly, we've got you covered when it comes to protecting your solar investment and making sure that it provides value to you for the long haul.